Your online student magazine

Miao Miao: the story of the school’s cat

Have you seen this beautiful feline lounging about our school canteen lately? Her name’s Miao Miao, and she has been the subject of much adoration or fear (or both) of Dunmanians for the past few months. A few kind students have also been feeding her and giving her the care that she needs.

Miao Miao’s profileName: Miao MiaoAge: 6 (around 40 human years)Health: FIV positive, leukemia, as well as a small ulcer in her mouthPersonality: Sweet, lovable. Not afraid to give you a body rub, especially when it deems you worthy of being its little human.Favourite places: Area around canteen, Zheng Xin Yuan

A few weeks ago, a kind-hearted student by the pseudonym L. Fiigarö took Miao Miao to the vet for a check-up. The diagnosis was grim – Miao Miao has contracted feline Aids, otherwise known as the Feline Immunodeficiency virus(FIV). As a result of her weakened immune system, she is also afflicted with leukaemia, a cancer of the blood or bone marrow. A vaccine was administered that will boost her immune system as well as alleviate some of her external symptoms for a maximum of 3 months. Once the vaccine wears off, her condition will deteriorate rapidly.

What is FIV?

FIV very similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), though the disease cannot be transmitted to humans. While FIV is often thought of as a sexual infection, it is most commonly transmitted between cats through wounds inflicted during fights. It is currently impossible to determine how Miao Miao contracted FIV.

As Miao Miao is in the latest stage of FIV, her immune system is very weak. It is highly recommended you keep a distance if you are sick, so as to reduce any further damage to the cat’s health. Please do not scare or abuse the cat in any manner whatsoever. And yes, that does includes screaming in fear at the sight of Miao Miao too.

If you see her around, don’t be afraid to pet her! Cats love to be stroked and she’ll definitely appreciate your care and concern. Here’s our Guide to Caring for Cats, created specially for all you cat-people.

Publications’ Quick Guide To Loving A Cat

1. Petting

There really isn’t much to this. Approach the cat slowly, making sure you are in her line of sight. Cats are predatory creatures and startle easily when they sense a threat. One way to gauge the cat’s response towards you is to observe its ears and tail. If they’re upright, that means the cat is interested and you can proceed. If its ears are flat and its tail down, puffed or whipping back and forth, best stay away.

2. Feeding

Please do not feed the cat as there are already Dunmanians who are doing so.

However if you are feeling particularly loving towards the cat, feel free to donate cat food instead. The recommended type of cat food are small packets of Whiskas wet food, which cost roughly 90 cents:

Please contact the writer should you wish to do so, who will then pass the food to these Dunmanians when she receives it.

We’ve observed certain food like bread being fed to the cat in school, which is highly unrecommended. Cats are allergic to the yeast in bread, which may cause symptoms such as diarrhoea, dizziness and vomiting. Here are some food types that you might not know are deadly to pets in general:

Cat-lover or not, we hope you’ll be able to show the cat some love, whether by giving it a friendly pat or simply giving it some space. Go ahead and tag your pictures of Miao Miao on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #dhsmiaomiao!